How to attract birds to your landscape
There’s no better sign of spring than
when the songbirds sing. Besides the
sound and beauty that birds bring to
the landscape, you practical folks
should know that birds also are great
for eating many of the “bad” bugs that
otherwise would eat your plants.
There’s more to attracting birds to
your yard than just setting out a bird
feeder or two. An effective
“birdscape” has four main components:
food, water, shelter and a place for bird mommies to
nest.
A yard that’s mostly wide open lawn has little in-
terest for birds. The more you can do to provide
those four bird-friendly features, the more feath-
ered friends you’ll see.
Different species of birds have different likes
and needs within those four categories, so the key
to attracting LOTS of birds is to supply a diverse
landscape.
Some birds like berries, others prefer seeds.
Some like to nest in evergreens, others prefer
dense shrubs or thorned bushes. Some birds like to
hide out in smaller shrubs, others prefer the top of
a tall tree.
Diverse doesn’t mean you have to trade in your
neat, well kept landscape for a wild-looking, over-
grown jungle. A birdscape can be both good-looking
to people and attractive to birds.
Feeders and foods
Bird feeders can help supplement bird diets when
natural food supplies are low, particularly in late
winter and early spring.
Maineville
726 Stephens Road
Maineville, OH 45039
(513) 683-5249
www.greenfieldplantfarm.com
An estimated 80 percent of a
typical bird’s diet comes from
natural foods. During breeding sea-
son, most birds favor insects and
worms. Otherwise, they rely heav-
ily on plant parts— fruits, seeds,
flower nectar, vegetable seedlings,
nuts, acorns and even pine cones.
A great way to attract birds,
then, is to plant a variety of these
types of plants. Birds especially
appreciate a landscape in which berries, seeds and
other edibles are spread out throughout the whole
year.
To accommodate that need, you might consider
serviceberries and blueberries for late-spring and
early-summer food; viburnum, dogwood, cotoneaster
and Oregon grapeholly for late-summer and fall
food, and crabapples, winterberry and hawthorn for
winter food.
Also plant a variety of flowers (see back for a
bird-friendly list) and leave the seed heads on over
the winter.
Water needs
A water garden or pond is a bird’s second best
friend, besides regular food. If you don’t have that,
a water-filled dish or birdbath or two will do. Either
way, the idea is to provide a regular source of fresh,
clean water for drinking and bathing. (Replace bird-
bath water every day or two and scrub it out
weekly.)
Keep in mind that birds don’t like deep water. If
your pond doesn’t have shallow edges, provide a few
rough rocks along the perimeter.
Anderson
6840 Clough Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45244
(513) 624-8876
Shelter from predators and weather
Birds have lots of enemies that try to eat them
and their eggs. They also have to deal with wind,
snow and assorted nasty weather
Dense shrubs and trees such as spruce, yews, ar-
borvitae, hemlocks, hollies and junipers are several
bird favorites. Don’t forget a few taller trees for
the species that like tree tops.
Place your feeders and birdbaths 10 to 20 feet
away from shelter plants. Any farther and birds may
be to timid to venture out. Too close and you’ve
given cats a hiding place, too!
A place to nest
Again, variety is the key when providing a place
for bird moms to lay eggs and nurture their young.
Robins like sturdy crotches of small trees. Cardi-
nals are big fans of forsythia and beautybush. Song
sparrows like the thorny protection of raspberry
bushes. And you’ll make bluebirds happy with a nest-
ing box.
The point is, the more of these nesting areas you
provide, the more successful you’ll be at attracting a
variety of birds.
You’ll also help them out by making sure they have
a steady supply of nest-building materials, such as
string, grass, twigs, little strips of paper and even
hair.
What else you can do
If you don’t have any taller grass nearby (such as
along a pond), consider planting a cluster of orna-
mental grasses for birds that like to nest in grass.
Some birds also like to nest in wood, brush or rock
piles, so if you have an out-of-the-way spot for
those, that would be a bonus. If you grow vines such
as trumpet creeper, wild grape or morning glory over
the piles, you’ll be even MORE popular with the
birds.
When choosing plants, try to stick with natives
that birds know and like. They aren’t as fond of
most exotics.
Finally, try to cut down on or cut out spraying in-
secticides. No bugs means no food for a bird. Also,
sprays may harm birds if they come into contact
with the material or if they eat bugs that have in-
gested a pesticide.
Following is a list of some of the best plants for
attracting birds to your yard.

If birds could go plant-shopping, this would be their list!

Trees for birds Holly Oregon grapeholly Trumpet creeper
American Elm Juniper Potentilla
Ash Pine Pyracantha Perennials for birds
Dogwood Spruce Raspberry Anise hyssop
Cherry (fruiting) Yew Red osier dogwood Aster
Crabapple Roses (rugosa type) Black-eyed Susan
Hawthorn Shrubs for birds St. John’s wort Boltonia
Magnolia Bayberry Spicebush Butterfly weed
Maple Beautybush Viburnum Coneflower
Oak Blackberry Virginia sweetspire Coralbells (Heuchera)
Redbud Burning bush Winterberry Coreopsis
River Birch Butterfly bush Witch hazel Gaillardia
Serviceberry Carolina allspice Goldenrod
Coralberry Vines for birds Ornamental grasses
Evergreens for birds Cotoneaster Boston ivy Phlox
Arborvitae Elderberry Honeysuckle Salvia
Falsecypress Forsythia Grape Sunflower
Fir Gooseberry Morning glory Strawberries
Hemlock Hydrangea Scarlet runner beans Verbascum
Ninebark Silver lace vine Yarrow